Slicing machine



Och-24, 1939. w. J. CAMPBELL SLICING MACHINE Filed NOV. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l x ----iiwva;

Oct. 24, 1939. w. J. CAMPBELL SLICING MACHINE Filed No'v. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,L un l Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES SLICING MACHINE William J. Campbell, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to American Slicing Machine Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application November 18, 1938, Serial No. 241,176

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in slicing machines and has for one purpose the provision of means for maintaining a true gauge of the slices.

Another purpose is the provision of means for preventing unintended rearward movement of the gauge plate of a slicing machine.

' Another purpose is the provision of guiding means which shall be effective to permit intended movement of a gauge plate toward and away from the cutting plane of a knife, while preventing undesired movement, bowing or tilting, in response to the thrust of the work against the forward face of the gauge plate.

Another purpose is the provision of means for constraining the gauge plate to movement along a path at an angle to the angle of thrust of the work against the gauge plate, whereby the guiding means for the gauge plate serves as a positioning abutment resisting movement of the gauge plate in response to the thrust of the work.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts broken away and parts in section;

Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal section of the structure shown in Fig. 2, with the parts in a different position;

Fig. 4 is a partial front view of a variant form of the device;

' Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

and

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5 through a variant form of the device.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, I generally indicates a base structure, such base having an upward extension as at 2, in which is housed the knife shaft 3 carrying the pulley 4 for the belt 5, extending to the motor pulley 6. 1 indicates a motor.

8 indicates a rotary knife mounted on the shaft 3 unitarily with the pulley 4, it being understood that in response to the rotation of the armature of the motor 'I the rotary knife is rotated. The forward face of the knife is partially masked by the guard plate 9, which forms no part of the present invention.

III indicates a gauge plate which has secured to a lower portion thereof, at a level within the base portion I, a forward extension or structure II. This in turn is secured to a transversely extending portion I2 which carries a long sleeve I3 at one end and a short sleeve I4 at the opposite end. The sleeves I3 and I4 are slidably mounted upon horizontal pins I5, I6 within the base I,

(Cl. 14S-102) and located forwardly of the cutting plane of the knife.

il is an exterior handle in communication with the lever structure I8, the details of which do not of themselves form part of the present invention. It will be understood, however, that in response to the movement of the handle I1 about a prede'- termined arc, the gauge plate I0 may be moved toward and away from the cutting plane of the knife in order to gauge slices of a variety of desired thicknesses.

2U indicates a work support or carriage movably mounted for example on tracks 2l and 22 which are effective to guide it across the face and past the cutting edge of the knife. Any suitable means, manual or otherwise, may be employed for urging the work toward the cutting plane and against the gauge plate I0. I illustrate guiding anges 23 and 24, and it will be understood that the normal thrust of the work is along a path or axis which is generally perpendicular to the cutting plane and to the face of the gauge plate I0, as shown by the arrow A in Figs. 2 and 3.

I find it advantageous to have the guiding means for the gauge plate located at or below the lower edge of the plate. This, however, has the disadvantage of permitting a certain exure or unintended rearward movement or deformation of the gauge plate in response to the thrust of the work along the axes A. I therefore provide additional means located at or adjacent the upper edge of the gauge plate for preventing any unintended lateral movement or bending of the plate, while permitting normal movement of the plate in response to actuation of the handle I'I.

Referring for example to Figs. 2 and 3, I illustrate a bar 38 secured to an opposite portion 3l of the base or frame structure of the machine, which may be an extension or part of the member 2. The member 30 may be secured in position, for example by screws 32 or any other suitable securing means, preferably in such fashion as to permit an adjustment of the member 30 in relation to the edge and the path of movement of the gauge plate I0. At its outer end is an offset portion or flange 33 having a bearing face 34 which engages an opposite bearing face 35 located adjacent or at the upper edge of the gauge plate I0. It is located also closely adjacent the cutting arc of the knife whereby, at the precise point where accurate gauging is important, the gauge plate is positively held in the proper gauging position.

The opposed faces 34 and 35 are in parallelism with the` axes of the guiding pins I5 and IS, whereby in response to movement of the handle Il the gauge plate moves backward or forward without any hindrance from the flange 33. However, since the pins I5 and I6 and the opposed bearing surfaces 34 and 35 are inclined in relation to the aXis of thrust A, the thrust of work against the gauge plate is not effective to bow or bend the gauge plate back out of position, and the very member 33 which serves as a guide for intended movement in parallalism with the pins I5, I6 also serves as an abutment for preventing unintended rearward movement in response to thrusts along the axes A.

Referring to Fig. 4, I illustrate a variant form in which a member 4U is adjustably secured to the cover 4I of the slicing machine, as for eX- ample by the screws 42. It might of course be made integral with the cover 4| if desired. It includes a cylinder 43 having an inner bearing surface 44 which receives a plunger 45 spring thrust by the spring 4S into the position in which it is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. 4l is any suitable knob or limiting abutment, secured to the upper end of the shaft 48, which constitutes an upward extension of the plunger proper 45. The plunger 45 is provided with a comic-faced bottom head 49 which is yieldingly thrust into engagement with the upper edge of the gauge plate I0.

Referring to Fig. 6, which illustrates a further variation, in place of the conic head 49 a wedgeshaped head 50 is employed, having a positioning guide or stabilizing member 4| upwardly extending along the outer wall of the member 43, in order to-prevent rotation of the member 50. In the forms of both Figs. 4 and 6, a limit member is yieldingly downwardly thrust against the upper edge of the gauge plate l0, which steadies and supports the upper edge of the gauge plate.

In relation to the forms of Figs. 4 and 6, it is important that the angle of the members 49V and 54 respectively and its relation to the compression or thrust of the spring 46 is such that the members 49 or 50 will not interfere with the normal adjustment of the gauge plate, but will still provide sufficient friction or resistance to prevent the bowing or springing of the plate due to the thrust of the work against the forward face of the gauge plate.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as being in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing.

I claim:

1. In a slicing machine, a base, a knife and means for actuating it, a carriage, means for guiding the carriage across the face and past the cutting edge of the knife, means for guiding material on said carriage for movement toward the cutting plane of the knife, along a path generally perpendicular to the cutting plane, a gauge plate and means for guiding it for movement along a path inclined to the cutting plane and inclined to the path of material on the carriage, including supporting and guiding means adjacent one edge of the gauge plate, and additional supporting and guiding means for said gauge plate, remote from said supporting means, including a member having a bearing surface generally parallel with the path of movement of the gauge plate and inclined to the 'path of movement of the material, and a member Slidingly opposed to said bearing surface and associated With the gauge plate, and extending to the rear thereof at all positions of the gauge plate.

2. In a slicing machine, a base, a knife and means for actuating it, a carriage, means for guiding the carriage across the face `and past vthe cutting edge of the knife, means for guiding material on said carriage for movement toward the cutting plane of the knife, along a path generally perpendicular to the cutting plane, a gauge plate and means for guiding it for movement along a path inclined to the cutting plane and inclined to the path of material on the carriage, including supporting and guiding means adjacent the lower edge of the gauge plate, and additional lsupporting and guiding means for the upper edge of said gauge plate, including a member having a bearing surface generally parallel with the path of movement of the gauge plate and inclined to the path of movement of the material, and a member slidingly opposed to said bearing surface vand associated fwith the gauge plate, and extending to the rear thereof at all positions of the gauge plate.

3. In a slicing machine, la base, a knife and means for actuating it, a carriage, means for guiding the carriage across the face and past the cutting edge of the knife, means for guiding material on said carriage for movement toward the cutting plane of the knife, along a path generally -perpendicular to the cutting lplane, a gauge plate and means for guiding it for movement along a path inclined to the cutting plane and inclined to the path of material on the carriage, including supporting and guiding means adjacent one edge of the gauge plate, and additional supporting and guiding means for said gauge plate, remote from said supporting means,

including a member having a bearing surface generally parallel with the path of movement of the gauge plate and inclined to the path of movement lof the material, and -a member slidingly opposed to said bearing surface `and lassociated with the gauge plate, and extending to the rear thereof at allpositions ofthe gauge plate, and yielding supporting means for said member.

4. In a slicing machine, a base, a knife and -means for actuating it, a carriage, means for guiding the carriage ae'ross the face and past the cutting edge of the knife, means for guiding material on said carriage for movement toward the cutting plane of lthe knife, alongY a'ipath generally perpendicular "to vthe cutting plane, a gauge 'plate and meansfor guiding it for movement long a path inclined to the `cutting plane and inclined to thepath lof material on the carriage,-including supporting and guiding means adjacent one -edge of the gauge plate, and addi-- tional supporting 'and guiding means for said gauge plate, remote from said supporting means, including Va member having a bearing surface generally parallel with the path of movement of the gauge plate and inclined to the path of movement of thelmaterial, and a member slidingly opposed to saidbearing surface and associated with the gauge plate, and extending to the rear thereof at all positions of the gauge plate, and means for Vyield-ingly Ythrusting said member against the edge of the gauge plate along a path generally parallel with the face of the gauge Dlate. f

WILLIAM J. CAMPBELL, 

